I framed a copy of the score and it hangs in my house. Mar 10, 20 included in silence, john cages most relevant collection of writing, lecture on nothing is in many ways an essayistic response to the thinking behind his music. In 1993, angelou recited her poem on the pulse of morning at president bill clintons inauguration, the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since robert frost at john f. Restoring it to spoken form and thus reanimating the beautiful tensions of this unspeech, this voiced absence, robert wilson. Oct 11, 2014 i have nothing to say and i am saying it and that is poetry as i need it john cage lecture on nothing, silence, 109.
Lecture on nothing i am here those who wish to get any moment silence is and there is nothing to say ifamong you are. The line quoted above, i have nothing to say and i am saying it and that is poetry as i need it, summarily defines the fundamental tenetsand contradictionsof cages aesthetic principle of individuation and silence. A girl came into the burger king and leaned against the counter, shouting something to someone in back. Lectures and writings is a book by american experimental composer john cage 19121992, first published in 1961 by wesleyan university press. Cage s application of compositional means in his lectures, as well as implementing methods that make a distinction between just hearing and experiencing through listening, determines the perspective to be taken when analyzing the lecture on nothing. Originally delivered by john cage at an artists club in new york in 1949, the composers lecture on nothing went on to become a core text within his 1961 collagemeditation of essays, silence. Feb 26, 20 t hough its origins go back more than a decade earlier to a talk he gave in new york, john cage s lecture on nothing was included in his first and most important collection of writings, silence. Like i wrote yesterday, i have recently started reading a book cubism by neil cox phaidon, 2000 about this very important art movement that took the art of the impressionists, postimpressionists and symbolists of the latter part of the 19th century in new directions, heretofore unimagined in art and painting. Lecture on nothing is perhaps, next to the future of music. John cage and robert wilson center for the art of performance.
I have nothing to say and i am saying it and that is poetry as i need it john cage lecture on nothing, silence, 109. The visualization of john cages lecture on nothing on vimeo. Included in silence, john cages most relevant collection of writing, lecture on nothing is in many ways an essayistic response to the thinking behind his music. Why do we use statistics, populations, samples, variables, why do we use statistics. So it was that i gave about 1949 my lecture on nothing at the artists club on. How to get out of the cage a year with john cage duration. Lecture of nothing cage, john, lecture of nothing in lecturers and writings, 1959, p. Wesleyan university press, 20 i am here and there is nothing to say. In 1949, john cage received an award of one thousand dollars from the national academy of arts and letters, and wrote his lecture on nothing and lecture on something, both reprinted in silence 1961. Or you may leave it forever and never return to it for we possess nothing but actually, unlike the snail we carry our. Why men fight and why we like to watch by jonathan gottschall is a fascinating look at fighting and violence through the eyes of a college professor who not only researching fighting and violence, but joined a mma gym to train and actually enter the arena to fight.
But what cage called a composed lecture didnt always go down so easily. The page numbers in brackets in the introduction to each extract refer to that book. John cage s lecture on nothing tuesday, oct 15, 20 at 8. Cages lecture reflects the medial rupture as it happens not only on different levels but also, as. He published silence in 1961, which included lectures and writings from the period 19391958. In the fore word to this book john cage explains how in writing those two fundamen tal lectures he made use of methods similar to those he used as a composer. It was probably read to the society known as the heretics, to which wittgenstein gave an address at that time. The line quoted above, i have nothing to say and i am saying it and that is poetry as i need it, summarily defines the fundamental tenetsand contradictionsof. As cage explains in the essay, the topicsomethingis ostensibly morton feldman, but as he admits, by the end it is about something else, namely cages most recent ideas on. Samson music history, yudkin 2330 and 4 peer critique 1. After looking it over, he said, too bad the j miliard lecture isnt in it. The work is a neat summarisation of the composers philosophy of music, as well as an application of his musical structures to a piece of prose. The text in john cage s lecture on nothing is composed of four measures per line and twelve lines per unit. In 1949, john cage received an award of one thousand dollars from the.
Todays essay is a followup to lecture on nothing, appropriately titled lecture on something, delivered to the artists club sometime in 1950. Jul 14, 2007 how to get out of the cage a year with john cage duration. As a homage to revolutionary composer john cage, robert wilson performs cages lecture on nothing, one of the central texts of twentiethcentury experimental literature robert wilson is one of the most significant representatives of the theatrical avantgarde, whose landmark einstein on the beach was recreated at the barbican in 2012. Cage entered into such practice gradually, incrementally abandoning subjective taste and personal expression through the course of the work. John cage 1912 1992 was an american composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and provocative artist. I remember loving sound before i ever took a music lesson. Robert wilson is one of the most significant representatives of the theatrical avantgarde, whose landmark einstein on the beach was recreated at the barbican in 2012. These are extracts from the 50th anniversary edition of silence. The notion of silence or as cage philosophizes, the lack thereof has informed both my thinking and my playing. John cage is the outstanding composer of avantgarde music today. Nothing more than nothing or making this only simpler simpler, that is simple to make in music and whenever one wishes one may return to it. It has just reappeared in a 50th anniversary edition of cages classic first book, silence.
Oct 19, 20 the text in john cages lecture on nothing is composed of four measures per line and twelve lines per unit. The composer first delivered the 40minute lecture which is. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and nonstandard use of musical instruments, cage was one of the leading figures of the postwar avantgarde. Note that in the afternote to the lecture on nothing silence, p. Premiered on august 22, 2012 at the ruhrtriennale festival, jahrhunderthalle, bochum, germany. Wittgensteins lecture on ethics the following lecture, hitherto unpublished, was prepared by wittgenstein for delivery in cambridge sometime between september i929 and december i930. In the fore word to this book john cage explains how in writing those two fundamen. T hough its origins go back more than a decade earlier to a talk he gave in new york, john cages lecture on nothing was included in his first and most important collection of writings, silence. The book provides some interesting insights into the history of cubism. Drawing from the philosophical framework provided by cage s lecture on nothing 1950 and lecture on something c. In a visually and acoustically inspiring homage to revolutionary composer and philosopher john cage, american theater luminary robert wilson performs lecture on nothing, one of the central texts of 20thcentury experimental literature originally delivered in 1949 by the composer himself at an artists club in. Comprising of repetition, selfreferential musings on its own structure, comments on american geography, as well as scattered observations on music including connections between brahms and thirds, and the general popularity. His parents, unhappy in their marriage and living in. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site.
National academy of arts and letters, and wrote his lecture on nothing and lecture. What john cage offers is more refreshing, more spirited, much more funa. John cage on silence john cage 1912 1992 was an american composer, music theorist, writer, philosopher and provocative artist. National academy of arts and letters, and wrote his lecture on nothing and lecture on something, both reprinted in silence 1961. The reality was very different to the dream and the family came to live in the poor area of brooklyn, new york. As a homage to revolutionary composer john cage, robert wilson performs cage s lecture on nothing, one of the central texts of twentiethcentury experimental literature. Lectures and writings by john cage wesleyan university press, 1961. Style in the music of charles ives stands out as an exception.
Wittgenstein lecture on ethics 1 of 6 ludwig wittgenstein lecture on ethics delivered in november 1929 to the heretics society, cambridge university my subject, as you know, is ethics and i will adopt the explanation of that term which professor moore has given in his book principia ethica. The visualization of john cages lecture on nothing youtube. As a homage to revolutionary composer john cage, robert wilson performs cages lecture on nothing, one of the central texts of twentiethcentury experimental literature. The 25year retrospective concert of the music of john cage.
The text in john cages lecture on nothing is composed of four measures per line and twelve lines per unit. Inside the mind of a master procrastinator tim urban duration. The sense of disorientation yielded by this experience is probably the best possible introduction to cages lecture on nothing, recited as part of the barbican theatres dancing for duchamp series. A composite approach to ivess cage university of kansas. When silence was published, i gave a copy to david tudor. Cages 1959 lecture on nothingremains a touchstone for artists thinking about how to empty their work of themselves. Modern music sevenths, always, all, fascinated me the seconds, with all its modern intervals. Silence john cage published by wesleyan university press john cage.
Cage, as a consequence, is now often more mystically presented as somewhat naively espousing a kind of zenlike syncing of a scene. Cage john lecture on nothing free download as pdf file. John cages lecture on nothing the barbican, london 2502. Cage possesses one of the rarest qualities of the true creator that of an original mind and whether that originality pleases, irritates, amuses or outrages is irrelevant. Comprising of repetition, selfreferential musings on its own structure, comments on american geography, as well as scattered observations on music including connections between brahms and thirds, and the general popularity of. If among you are those who wish to get somewhere, let them leave at any moment. This performance was done at the diego rivera gallery in san francisco, as part of the show i have nothing to say and im saying it curated by aaron david kissman, on april 2015. The richard kostelanetz books john cage explained, or conversing with cage, or cages own a year from monday are highly entertaining. John cages lecture on nothing as a landmark in media history. As cage explains in the essay, the topicsomethingis ostensibly morton feldman, but as he admits, by the end it is about. A performative interpretation of john cages lecture on nothing, written in 1949 and published as part of his book silence from 1961. The entire piece is divided into five parts, comprised of 7, 6, 14, 14, 7 units. September 5, 1912 august 12, 1992 was an american composer, music theorist, artist, and philosopher. This performance was done at the diego rivera gallery in san francisco, as part of the show i have nothing to say and im saying it.
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